Dubai-based Rise Studios, which is headed by former Warner Bros. Discovery Middle East chief Amanda Turnbull, and Turkish sales and production company Inter Medya have started shooting “Caged Love” which is the first TV series spawned by their recently forged strategic partnership.
Directed by Canan Çelik, who is known for globally exported hit shows “Love Is in the Air” (2010) and “Heartstrings” (2025), “Caged Love” features an all-star cast led by Eslem Akar (“Room for Love”) and Mert Altınışık (“Limit”). Other cast members include Caner Kurtaran, Faruk Pakiş, Gül Arcan, Aslı Saçar, Hasan Ballıktaş, Berna Üçkaleler, and Pelin Orhuner.
The writers on “Caged Love” are Zeynep Küçükerciyes and Ali Göğebakan.
The high-end series – which the two companies are co-financing – is intended for a multi-platform global release. “Caged Love” is a romantic drama that explores “identity, sacrifice, and forbidden love,” according to promotional materials.
The series follows a young woman named Deniz accused of a crime she did not commit, who assumes the identity of her dying friend to protect her daughter.
“As she enters the grand mansion of the powerful Demiricihan family under her new identity (Sevda), she is forced into a marriage with a man (Baran) she was never meant to love. Although they are forced into marriage by the family’s matriarch, they must overcome both internal and external conflicts before they can confess and surrender to their love,” the synopsis says.
“Caged Love represents the next chapter of our global co-production strategy,” said Inter Medya founder Can Okan in a statement. “By combining our international production expertise with the strength of Rise Studios, we are working together to honour the global appeal of Turkish drama through high-quality storytelling. Seeing this story finally come to life on set is a testament to the hard work and shared ambition of both companies,” he added.
Commented Turnbull: “This partnership reflects our ambition to back stories that travel.”
“With ‘Caged Love’ we are bringing together a powerful emotional story and a globally proven genre to create something both locally authentic and widely relatable,” she noted. “Working with Inter Medya supports our intention to step into an adjacent market that shares cultural sensibilities while offering strong regional and international appeal.”
Rise Studios was set up in 2022. Their recent film slate comprises Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36,” Tarzan and Arab Nasser’s “Once Upon A Time In Gaza,” Mohamed Baraka-directed thriller “All But Divorced” and Hiam Abbas-starrer “Only Rebels Win.”
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